Heavy components in at Haiyang

20 March 2013

Heavy components have been installed at China's Haiyang 1 - both steam generators and the reactor vessel head - completing the main parts of the new AP1000 unit's primary circuit.

At the Haiyang site in Shandong province, the new reactor project is being managed by Shandong Nuclear Power Company, in collaboration with State Nuclear Power Technology Corp (SNPTC) and China Nuclear Energy Construction Corp (CNECC), which released pictures of the landmark lifts.

Haiyang 1 heavy components, March 2013 (SNPTC,CNECC) 460x340
Top and right: Steam generators are lifted into the reactor building on 19 and 4 March respectively. Bottom: the reactor pressure vessel head and control rod drive mechanism is readied for lift on 15 March (Image: CNECC, SNTPC, Feng Qingyi, Wang Jinjie)


The two steam generators and reactor vessel head were the only remaining major components for the reactor unit's primary circuit. The other main parts including the pressurizer and large pumps were already in place. All of these may now be connected by heavy steel piping.

Construction started on the AP1000 unit in September 2009 and it is slated for commercial operation in May 2014.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News